The History of St Valentine’s Day

Some love it, others hate it. Yet what many of us don’t know is why we even celebrate Valentine’s Day in the first place? “Soul meets soul on lovers’ lips” wrote Percy Bysshe Shelley, a truly romantic notion and a good quote to describe the essence of Valentine’s Day. There is more to the day than receiving a bunch of sweet-smelling red roses from your partner.

Mystery shrouds Saint Valentine, with little really known about him apart from the fact that he existed. There’s even speculation about which man we actually honour. The most common and widely accepted person is the martyred 3rd-century priest from Rome, Saint Valentine. But there is still the argument that Saint Valentine could well have been one of two other martyred priests with the same name from the period. Exactly why it happens on that particular date is also not fully known, what is most agreed on is that the Christian Church chose the 14th February in the 5th century, in an attempt to replace the pagan holiday of ‘Lupercalia’.

The most common and widely accepted person is the martyred 3rd-century priest from Rome, Saint Valentine…

Nowadays, countries such as the UK, the US, and Canada associate Valentine’s Day with romance and love. It’s a day for showing people you love them by treating them to a nice dinner, or buying them a crazily stereotypical gift like a teddy bear. What many don’t know is that the association of Valentine’s Day with romance didn’t exist until the Middle Ages. The Duke of Orléans, at the time imprisoned in the Tower of London, sent the first known Valentine’s letter to his wife in 1415. That’s true love at its peak! Today, millions of secret admirers worldwide follow this model by sending letters to those they love, all in hope of finally getting noticed by that one special person.

Having said that, what about some unique traditions from around the world? The ways of celebrating this day differ around the world, and they’ve changed throughout the years. In Norfolk in the UK, the tradition of ‘Jack Valentine’ leaving presents for people to find at their doorstep is followed even today, with parents often doing this for their children as well. In England in the past, women left bay leaves on their pillows the night before Valentine’s day, hoping to dream about their future husbands. The Italians had a similar custom, involving the women getting up before dawn in order to try and find a man to marry. According to the story, the first man they saw in the morning would be the man they’d marry within the year – easy. After all, who needs hours of awkward flirting and pick up lines?

In England, women used to leave bay leaves on their pillows the night before Valentine’s day, hoping to dream about their future husbands….

Then there’s modern day Valentine’s Day celebrations throughout the world. It would be impossible to talk about customs everywhere especially with the large amount of interesting ones, but here are a choice few. In Germany, aside from the standard chocolate and flower giving, there’s a fun tradition of exchanging pigs. Or rather, items with a pig theme: pig statues, cards with pigs on them, chocolate pigs. The pig, representative of luck and lust, is definitely a different take on the concept of gift-giving. Meanwhile, in Japan there’s also a quirky interpretation of 14 February. In Japan, it is a day when women will give their male friends and colleagues a gift. Yet there’s a twist. The men will give their gifts a month later on 14 March, reversing their roles. Twice the celebration!

All this being said, whatever you choose to do on Valentine’s Day, whether it’s buying your significant other a tasty chocolate treat, or hanging out and watching films with your best friends, just remember, everyone does it differently!